“We’re gonna sit at our desks and keep typing while the walls fall down around us because we’re creative, the least important, most important thing there is.” — Don Draper, “Mad Men”

Yes, Don Draper, yes yes yeeees!

We are creative! We don’t give in easily! Even though no one is waiting for our words of wisdom (Dearest Mum to self, in a recent telephone conversation: “Hurry up! Where’s that next book? The world is waiting!” Self to Dearest Mum: “Mom. Mom. Mom. You’ve got to understand. NO ONE is waiting.”)

But self shoulders on! Because she is the ultimate masochist! Because she loves being broke!

It really helps the decision making process, not to have to decide, for instance: Should self get take-out today? Or must she spend grunge time preparing one week’s worth of meals on Sunday? If one is broke, one knows one can never, ever get take-out.

Or, should self treat this person to lunch? Or merely keep silent when the bill comes, her hands folded on her lap, maybe chuckling sheepishly, but at all costs avoiding looking at the bill? Just going “Erase, erase,” and pretending that slip of paper has nothing at all to do with self?